Clarkston Senior Consultant Shares Career Story & Reflections for Pride Month

Shannon, senior consultant at Clarkston, shares her experience with the firm and her reflections for Pride Month! Read her career story below – a Q&A that explores her background and journey at Clarkston Consulting.

Background

What is your role at Clarkston?

I am senior consultant with a background in clinical research in the behavioral and life sciences industries. My work ranges across the data and analytics spectrum, from architecture and engineering through analytics and visualization. I currently provide long term support for a client’s commercial data science team primarily as a data engineer and support other internal and client efforts where the opportunity arises.

Can you tell us about your career journey up until now and how you found your way to Clarkston?

Before finding my love for all things data, I studied molecular psychobiology and was very interested in the scientific process, especially research design. Questions of not only what we can measure, but also how to ensure those measurements are accurate and used in a meaningful way, have always held a certain fascination to me.

I started my career as a research assistant in a highly interdisciplinary lab which allowed me to quickly learn a wide range of skills. Within the first year I was doing work I never expected: running MRIs on infants and toddlers, processing and analyzing brain imaging data, and – to my delight – coding. This work really highlighted that the most exciting part of research for me was the data aspect. Everything from maintaining quality and correct processing of the data itself to ensuring everyone using the data understood exactly what it represented was always on my mind. The missing piece was the technical knowledge to apply these principles in a broader and more sophisticated way.

While working with the lab, I attended a remote grad school program in data analytics. The program gave me the tools and in-depth knowledge to tackle a much wider range of problems. Consulting wasn’t something I had considered until I saw the Clarkston job listing looking for a data scientist, but the idea of getting to work on a wide range of projects and always having opportunities to learn something new was intriguing. Fast forward three years and this is exactly where I’m meant to be, looking forward to many years to come.

Pride Month Reflections

In your experience, how does Clarkston support an authentically inclusive workplace for the LGBTQ+ community?

Clarkston’s Pride Network is one part of creating an authentically inclusive workplace, on two levels. The closed-door meetings allow LGBTQ+ stewards, including anyone who is not out, a space to be comfortable and share freely among community. The larger network meetings which are open to the entire company also provide opportunities for all stewards to learn more and provide support.

In a time when many LGBTQ+ rights that were previously making progress are being threatened or rolled back, it makes me proud that Clarkston is unapologetically remaining supportive of not only LGBTQ+ stewards but stewards of all backgrounds and demographics. Providing vocal support and backing those words up with action is how Clarkston shows allyship and advocacy for its LGBTQ+ stewards.

Why is Pride Month important?

Pride Month always makes me think first and foremost of the word “Community”. Being able to share in joy and hope (and at times fear and sorrow) with community is something I value highly. Parts of the LGBTQ+ experience can be very isolating and lonely. The impacts of seeing others share your experience and the outpouring of love and acceptance during Pride Month can go a long way in providing support and hope to those who are struggling.

Another key aspect of Pride Month to me is history. Much of LGBTQ+ history is full of hardship, making this not only a time for understanding how we’ve gotten where we are today but also acknowledging those who fought to get here and those we lost on the way. This is by no means limited to Pride Month, but with the large scale gathering of the LGBTQ+ community and the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, June is a good time for reflection on the past.

What does Pride mean to you?

In addition to the themes that make Pride Month important, to me Pride also means living true to yourself. It means shedding the instinct to shrink parts of yourself and standing tall in who you are. Pride means embracing someone for who they are and finding value in what makes them unique. Pride is freedom, joy, inclusivity, self-affirmation, power, celebration, and much more.

Journey at Clarkston Consulting

How long have you been at Clarkston? And, what has kept you at Clarkston?

I joined Clarkston in May 2022 after completing a master’s degree in applied data analytics. Clarkston’s culture of collaboration and enthusiastic problem solving for how to help clients as well as Clarkston and its stewards is one of my favorite things about Clarkston and is a strong contributor to why I’ve stayed with the firm. I also enjoy the wide variety of skills and tools I’m exposed to through not only my own client experiences but through fellow stewards sharing their successes as well.

What is your favorite part about working at Clarkston?

My favorite part about working at Clarkston is the culture. Specifically, one aspect that drew me to Clarkston and continues to be demonstrated is the way every person’s perspective is valued. Anyone from a newly hired associate to a seasoned professional can bring new ideas and initiatives to the table. Each of us can learn from one another and – especially in the ever-evolving worlds of consulting and technology – placing high value on diverse experiences allows us all to show up better for ourselves and our clients.

What are some ways that Clarkston supports your professional development and career growth?

Clarkston shows strong support for professional development and career growth through many avenues. Two that have been very impactful in my personal journey are the Consulting Skills internal training series and the Partner Advisor program.

I had never worked in the consulting world or taken business courses before joining Clarkston. While I was able to execute my technical client work with confidence, I felt there was a barrier between my individual contributions and the larger picture. After reviewing the first two courses in the Consulting Skills series independently, I was able to start applying some larger-picture thinking to my daily work. For the third course, I was invited to participate with my fellow stewards in-person and that experience allowed me to both deepen and broaden my understanding of consulting and management.

Another great resource for my career growth has been the Partner Advisor program. The use of regular check-in meetings allows me to focus not only how my current work is going but also how I’d like my career to develop moving forward. This has given me a clearer picture of my potential career trajectory along with practical guidance on how to achieve my goals. Having that personal connection with someone who has a wealth of knowledge about Clarkston, consulting, and general professional experience is incredibly valuable.

In your experience, what qualities make someone a good consultant?

Based on my experience, a good consultant can be flexible in their approach while keeping in mind the end goals and business benefit. A good consultant is also very clear in their communications, tailoring the level of detail and approach to specific audiences. Other qualities that make someone a good consultant include an eagerness to learn independently and proactively, strong expectation setting and delivery, and adaptability in their role. The wide range of problems, tools, knowledge domains, personalities, and resources seen across clients make all these attributes key factors in a consultant’s ability to deliver the right solution in a supportive way.

Learn how you can develop your career at Clarkston here.